Double O Trouble
by EmPriest
Summary: What happens when a teenage D.W. discovers that her substitute teacher isn't really who he says he is? Curiosity is a deadly thing and D.W. just might have to learn this the hard way. plz R&R. Thnx
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Arthur characters and places are not my own, just the plot of this story.

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Double O Trouble

_Chapter One_

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"Dora Winifred Read?"

"I didn't do it!"

The guy's brow rose up charily at the respond. He tore his eyes from the attendance sheet and swept over the laughing faces of teenagers to find the brunette sheepishly looking around. This was the first time she'd replied after he had called her name. Usually her hands shot up in the air, but her face stayed down on her desk. If his true purpose of coming to the school was to only teach the class he may had administered his authority as a teacher and made her pay attention earlier on. But to do that could have put him in risk of being discovered. Regardless of his disguise, he still held the strong belief the girl was much clever than the _others_ gave her credit for. Now that he had finaly gotten her attention, however, he tried to don upon a professionally stern appearance. Even though the budding urge to smile burned behind his lips when he met the girls dishevel expression.

"Nice drool work D.W." Tommy Tibbels cackled pointing a finger towards the girl's chin.

The haze of deep sleep finally cleared from D.W. Read's eyes. She quickly whipped the wetness on one side of her mouth and glared at Tommy too tired to shut him up with biting remarks.

"Nice to see you can join us for some Calculus Miss Read. Please, do try to keep the snoring to a minimum of-- none today." The teacher said heartily.

"Your snoring is worse than Tommy's!" Timmy Tibbels exclaimed right before falling into tumbling laughter with his twin brother and the rest of the class. That is, until Tommy realized he had been insulted.

D.W. rolled her eyes at the two boys who started to punch one another and did a double take to the front of the room. She was expecting to see a pregnant woman standing up there, not a man.

"Hey Emily, who's that dude up there and where's Mrs. Kelp?"

The blond arched her back from the sharp poke D.W. administed before irritably turning around to answer her. "That's Mr. Powers. He's been our substitute for the past two weeks while Mrs. Kelp is out due to her new baby."

A frowned seized D.W.'s face. "Really, are you sure?"

Emily rolled her blue eyes and slapped D.W.'s face with her long, curled blond hair as she turned back to face the front of the class.

"I think I would know my own teacher. We all don't have your amazing gift of sleep walking through every class D.W."

"I don't sleep through _every _class." D.W. informed grudgingly. But she couldn't stay mad for long.

Suddenly Calculus wasn't as a big of a bore as she first thought. All because she had an itching suspicion that this substitute of her's looked too familiar for comfort. Sure she agreed he seemed like any normal teacher, perhaps a little young. He wore a white collar shirt with a gray vest, and tan kakis. He smiled amiably to himself a lot while he read over the attendance sheet. But all of this was irrelevant she felt in why he seemed so familiar to her. There was something else she was missing. Something that she should have caught. Who was this Mr. Powers guy?

-----

"Isn't he hot!" Vicita Molina exclaimed.

"Whoa, dude how can you think a teacher is hot?" Tommy Tibbles barked spraying the mashed up food in his mouth across the table.

"Ew Tommy, can you keep your food in your mouth?" Emily shrieked dodging the flight of food heading toward her flawless face.

Vicita giggled at the boy's grin to Emily. The junior was infatuated with any boy as they all knew well. Earlier in the school year she had revealed to having a big crush on Tommy Tibbles, the more sensitive of the twins as she had explained to Emily and D.W. Neither Emily or D.W. understood how she could even feel this way about a Tibble, but Vicita was ardent. D.W. felt a little sorry for her long time neighbor and her crush on Tommy, since the dumb jock was too immature to even realize it. But now it looked like Vicita had a new crush.

"Are you jealous Tommy?" Vicita asked batting her eyes girlishly at Tommy.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Tommy asked her in his typical oblivious way.

Timmy socked his brother in the arm before throwing his blue cap on his head and standing from the lunch table. "Come on Tommy, lets get out of here. I feel the on coming storm of disgusting girl talk."

"I'm telling you guys, I've seen the sub's face somewhere and I have a bad feeling about him," D.W. announced when the twins left before glaring at the tray Miss. MacGrady, the lunch lady, had fixed for her.

"Maybe he's from Mighty Mountain across town." Vicita offered.

"Who cares where he's from. I think you just want to make a mountain out of an ant hill, D.W.," Emily croaked bitterly. "Come on Victia, we have cheerleading practice for Friday's pep rally."

"See you later D.W." Vicitia said before following Emily out of Lake Wood High's cafeteria.

D.W. was too busy trying to remember where it was she had seen the sub's face to notice her friends departure. She was also too busy to notice James MacDonald plunge into the seat beside her.

"Hey Read. How come you're all by yourself?" James asked peering into the girl's brown eyes. She had nice eyes.

"What?" D.W. uttered coming out of her daydream. She almost jump startled when she laid eyes on James and not Emily who had previously been occupying the seat beside her.

"James, where did you come from?" D.W. asked dumbfounded.When James smiled at her she caught herself and looked away.

She was a senior, but she still couldn't forget that one time in preschool where James kissed her simply because Emily had been kissed and D.W. wanted to be too. Preschool was ages ago now and James had changed a lot. He was leader of a band called the _Tough Customers_. James explained to her once that the name came from his older sister's gang who used to bully D.W.'s older brother's elementary school. Even more of a change in James was how much more confident he had become. In last year's Lake Wood High's yearbook he got voted for being the most wish-for boyfriend in school, even though he wasn't a senior yet. Unlike all the rest of the guys where she could freely be blunt, and over dominating, D.W. couldn't act that way in front of James. She still couldn't understand why.

"Are you going to the pep rally tomorrow?"

D.W. shrugged. "I need a ride and my dumb brother probably won't take me even though he doesn't have classes on Friday."

James smiled at the scowl D.W. made as she thought about Arthur eating up all the chocolate cake Dad baked instead of letting her borrow his car.

"I can give you a ride." James informed her.

"Really," she hadn't been expecting that.

James took a bite of his patty and shrugged. "If you want."

D.W.'s head was nodding before she could even reply. Was this a date? No way. However before she could ask James, he stood up to leave.

"I'll see you around Read."

----

"Kate, give me the remote I want to catch _The Government's Most Wanted_!" D.W. snapped at her little sister as she snatched the remote from her hands.

The younger teen glared at her older sis for a moment, but didn't complain since she was just about to put it to that show.

It was after the second commercial while chomping on some buttered popcorn that D.W. Read got the shock of her life. One moment she was sitting back listening to the host of G.M.W. speaking about the next criminal being a very dangerous genius who was once a spy for the government. The next moment she was choking on popcorn and staring bewildered at the flashing image of a chillingly familiar face.

"How many times does mom tell you to chew your food before you swallow it?" Kate said to D.W. as she slapped her back continually.

D.W. swung around to her little sister and grabbed her wrist. "Oh my goodness, Kate you wouldn't believe this!"

"What?"

"That man they're talking about, the s_py, _that's my substitute teacher!"

----

A/N: Because I love D.W. hope you enjoy this, tell me how you feel thus far.


	2. Chapter 2

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_**Chap 2:**_ _The Girl Who Cried Spy_

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There were three things D.W. Read was confident of. One was that she would someday have the lead role in the Broadway musical _Crazy Bus, _which she helped put on the map thank you very much. The next thing was that she was way more smarter than her brother Arthur or his crazy dog, Pal, regardless of what Arthur had to say about that. The third was without a doubt the most truest of her conviction. Mr. Powers, her substitute teacher, had a bounty on his head and she was going to get it.

_NAdiNE356:_**R U craZ??!!**

D.W. flashed a meaningful smile at the computer screen before typing a response.

_D-Queen:_** CraZ like a FOX! Here I thought nothing Xciting ever hapN in El-City, but this...!**

_NAdiNE356:_**If ur sub really is an ex-spy the Gov is lookin 4, u need to report it 2 the cops. What u wannna do is dangerous D.W. the guy could B a lunatic**

_D-Queen:_** That's a risk I'm willin 2 take. Bsides he's asking to B caught. What kind of hideout is a High school?**

_NAdiNE356:_**I don't know D.W. I have a bad feelin about this**

_D-Queen:_** U worry 2 much Nad. Anyway it's my civil duty!**

**----**

He let his breath out slowly unable to stop the smile preying his lips. The screen of the laptop went black. Perhaps he was being a little too brazen to sit in the car hidden among the shadows of the drooping trees. Maybe a more observant neighbor could become suspicious about the park car and call the police. Truth was he could have easily hacked into the system from his apartment, but he needed to keep an eye on her.

"What did I tell you?" he said to the voice behind his earpiece.

"Ok, ok, I see your point."

"She's smart. Despite this getup I'm in, she still recognized my face on G.M.W."

"You could be a little more serious about this. You're in the red-zone with this girl. She knows your true identity that puts you at risk. Also she's too sneaky. Any sane person would have contacted the police."

"When did being sly become a handicap in this line of work?"

"She's going to blow your cover. Quit thinking about only you, a lot is at stake here. The lives of many we love are at stake. She's a threat to this."

He frowned for a moment and watched as the lights from the girl's room went off. "Don't worry about her. I'll handle it."

"You better handle it. We only get one chance here."

He pulled the earpiece out of his ear and gazed back up at the dark window. "So does she."

-----

D.W. watched the faces of her friends in hopeful anticipation. They all held a silent, blank expression as they stared back at her. Certainly they were as excited as she was. Surely they were as ready to claim the bounty on their subs head. Unquestionably they saw the truth in her words.

"I remember that spy guy from G.M.W. too," Timmy Tibbles started to say. "I could have sworn he looked like Mr. Haney our superintendent."

"Not-uh, that spy dude is really the principle, Mr. Ratburn!" Tommy butted in.

The smile on D.W.'s face slowly began to waver and the oncoming presence of anger gradually swept into its place as all of her friends burst into hackles.

"Really D.W. how do you manage to make up these ridicules assumptions when we have so much homework every night." Emily humouredly inquired of her.

"What? I'm not making anything up, it's the truth! Come on Tibbles, how could you not tell that guy is Mr. Powers?" D.W. fumed jumping up from the stairs they all sat on.

"Vicita, you believe me right?" D.W. tried her more _accessible_ friend.

Vicita looked away from D.W.'s eyes and began to scrape the cemented ground with her foot.

"Vicita!" D.W. barked.

"Well," the younger girl reluctantly commenced. "Remember that time you told me Mary Moo Cow was really that lady from the evening news?"

"But that was true too!" D.W. insisted angrily. "How can you guys not believe me? Okay fine. I'll prove it to you then. I'm going to catch Mr. Powers, there'll be a big news story about me on the TV, and then you guys will regret not believing me. You'll see."

With that passionate promise still burning in her mind, and the gurgling laughter of the Tibbles behind her, D.W. Read climbed the stairs of Lake Wood High and entered the building. She had one objective at the moment and that was to find out everything about Mr. Powers. Where he lived, what he was doing in Elwood City, but most importantly what was his purpose for choosing to hide in a high school of all places.

However, the late bell for third block class rung before D.W. could run to the art studio to grab a camera for her task. She had calculus now and the hall monitor was already in the hall forcing tardy slips on students. She figured she could get the camera after class. But how could she manage to be be inconspicuous in front of Mr. Powers?

Well, the answer wasn't in being late that was for sure. As soon as she entered the classroom she felt a firm hand grab her shoulders. She nearly split out of her skin when she met the stare Mr. Powers gave her. It was almost as though he had been sitting in her living room last night and witness her recognize his face on TV. A cold chill ran down her spin at the memory of Nadine's words.

_The guy could be a lunatic._

What if he was crazy? What would he do to her?

"Miss Read, glad to see you made it," the sub suddenly smiled and it seemed like sunlight had pierced through dark, rumbling rain clouds and birds were chirping.

D.W. released the gasp stuck in her throat and rolled her eyes. How in the world could he know she knew he was a criminal? If she was going to get her bounty, she told herself, she needed to play it cool. Unfortunately things didn't go the way D.W. planned. Before she could run out of class when the bell rang the sub called her name.

D.W. gazed up at the young man suddenly standing before her desk. He was smiling, but that didn't settle her heart from beating as madly as it was. what could he want with her?

"Yes, Mr. Powers," she replied unable to swallow the hard lump that had appeared in her throat.

"Could you stay after class? I have something to discuss with you."

A loud bell went off in D.W.'s head. It took her a moment to realize the sound wasn't the late bell, but her own mental warning bell.


	3. Chapter 3

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**Chap 3:** _The Girl with Too Many Secrets_

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What was that thing her Mom used to always say to her when she was going to elementary school. Oh yeah, always listen to your teacher-- unless of course he's really a convict the government is looking for and he looks like he has a score to settle with you. In those kinds of cases, D.W. told herself, I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind if I exercised my teenage rebellion. She shot up from her seat and forced a false grin across her face.

"You know Mr. Powers, I would love to stay and chat, but…" she tried to think of something that wasn't too far stretch. "I--I have a history test I have to make up for." Partially true, only the test was scheduled for tomorrow, but as long as she got out of the room, who cared.

She nervously began filling her book bag with the rest of her belongings and was already speed walking for the door when the sub stepped in front of her. He grinned down into the teens bright eyes affectionately.

"Ever broken your curfew and tried slipping back through your bedroom window to avoid getting caught by your parents?"

D.W.'s eyes lit up even wider. "That was just that one time! Besides I didn't even--" She stopped dead in her tracks. How had he known? Or had he known? Was he doing some sort of spy reverse psychology on her?

Suddenly she heard him laughing and his fingers moved to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes. "You really are extraordinary."

A frown seized D.W.'s face. Her being extraordinary wasn't what she imagined to hear from the convict. Confuse and passed nervousness she quickly stepped back from him and started biting her nails. It was a dirty habit she meant to break. Maybe she would start if she lived through this day.

"Dora Winfred…"

D.W. automatically winced. "Oh please don't call me that. I hate my name."

Wait what was she doing? This was not the place, or the person for that matter, to lay down her tragic story of being given the wrong name. The sub cackled again as he watched her. Why was he always laughing? She didn't expect convicts to be so… happy.

"Do you know, your face makes these silly expressions when you're thinking? It almost seems like you're having an argument with yourself."

Embarrassed, D.W. felt her face disturbed by the fact it could so easily betray her. Her distraction vanished when she noticed the sub walk to the front door and shut it. She muffled her gasp knowing that was her only exit out and now he was blocking it. Well, she still had the windows-- if she wanted to jump some _really-big-number-of-feet _to her death. How could she get out of this situation?

"I know you're afraid."

D.W. felt her breath cut off as the sub turned to face her. The expression which glazed his face was uncomfortably rigid and serious. She decided right there and then she liked it better when he was always smiling. If you were going to be locked in some classroom with an evil genius convict who you were sure wanted to hurt you at least he could be smiling when he did it, right?

"Me?" she heard her voice crack. "I--I'm not afraid of you. Why would I be afraid of you? You--you're just a nice, sweet, substitute teacher… yes you are!"

He looked amused again, but he still didn't smile as he started to walk back to her. "I know you think I'm a bad man."

"Bad?" D.W. shrieked. Where was he getting all these from? It felt as though he was reading her mind. "I--_I do_--don't think you're bad."

He finally grinned, but it was too late to ease D.W.'s apprehension. "If you don't stop D.W., it'll be too late for you."

At this point D.W. didn't know whether to scream or piss in her pants. She chose screaming since her pride wouldn't let go of her bladder.  
"Stop, stop what?"

Suddenly the sub was in front of her and grinning deviously down at her face. Could a genius ex-spy commit murder?

"Do you know the best way to kick a bounty hunter off your tail?"

D.W. gasped shock to points unknown to her. He knew, he knew, sweet lord he knew! He grasped the side of her face carefully and pulled his face down towards it.

"Do you know the type of dangers can befall a pretty girl who's too nosy and has loose lips?"

She could feel his hot breath tickling her nose. Despite it being the most petrifying moment in her whole youthful life, and despite her not being able to gulp, she could only think how fresh his breath was. It must have been shock. His hands rose and patted her head gently. What, was she a dog now?

"I don't want to see you get hurt D.W. Be the smart girl I know you to be. Keep my secret to yourself."

"Hey!"

D.W. jumped startled partially from the holler of the new voice and from the sub's strange request. Her head turned to the now opened front door to find James standing at it.

"James," D.W. whispered as the sub straighten from his bent position and stepped to the side of her.

He grinned at the glaring teen trying not to give way to his irritation. "Mister MacDonald, shouldn't you be in class?"

D.W. watched James glare suspiciously at the sub and in that moment he had never seemed so--wonderful. Now she really understood what they meant when they said knight in shinning armor.

"Come on Read, I'll walk you to class."

He didn't have to say it twice. D.W. hurried passed the sub and practically ran to James.

"I'll see you tomorrow Miss Read." she heard the sub from behind.

She reluctantly glanced back at him surprised at his believable pretense. She should have been terrified of him--okay she was. But along with that fear came feeling something else she couldn't describe. She was sure of one thing and that was how awfully confused she had become.

"Was that teacher trying to put the moves on you?"

The question brought D.W. out of her jumbled reverie. "What?" she glanced to James not expecting to find his face so hard.

"Um… thanks," she said softly, "for back there."

He met her eyes and after a moment gave way to a small smirk. "I thought he was hurting you or something. I nearly ran over there to knock--" he quickly cut himself off, blushing as he looked away from her.

"What did he want with you?" his question startled D.W.

"Uh… he--he just wanted me to… quit taking my naps in his class." D.W. didn't like lying, but why had she here with James?

Maybe the sub's words had frighten her more than she would have liked to believed.

he had told her. Hadn't he threaten her earlier? How had he known she knew about him? Was that just something he picked up being a spy? Even more important why did it seem like he wanted to hurt her and protect her at the same time? What did she need protecting from? Or maybe the question was, _whom_. 

"You're scowling awfully hard, are you okay?"

"Oh, me yeah sure. I'm just getting ready to greet my brother when I get home."

James smiled. "By the way I was thinking we can go to the Sugar bowl after the rally tonight."

"Okay. Whatever, I have to get to class," D.W. absentmindedly said failing to realize the guy had just asked her out.

It wasn't until she plunged into her seat in her French class, still baffled by her experience, did she acknowledge this after Vicita's question.

"Did James MacDonald just walk you to class?"

* * *

_A/N: Hmm…_

**23Lilly**_ with the way D.W. is I'm not really sure if I can answer if Nadine exist, or not, we'll see. _

**Dead Composer** _I don't watch the Simpsons (shocking I know, evry1 thinks I'm weird) so I don't know what ep. you mean._

_**Thanx evryone **for taking the time to review, very encouraging. Expect a lot of questions to be answered in chap 4._


	4. Chapter 4

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Chap 4: _The Girl who was loved_

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"Damn it!"

"Now where did that cool levelheaded genius go?"

He spun around to find the detective already crossing his barren living room. A deep scowl seized his face and he turned his attention back onto pulling the white tee over his head.

"Guess it didn't go so well." the detective stated.

"You think." he sighed disconcerted at the detective's presence.

"The problem isn't her, it's you." the pale gentleman said pulling open the small refrigerator sitting upon a wired, rusted chair. He groaned at the sight of a half empty carton of organic mush and an unopened bottle of Elwood spring water which resided in it.

"Jeez Alan, what kind of nutritious crap is this?" the detective sighed taking the bottle and carton out.

"What do you mean the problem is me? I'm only trying to do my job!" Alan hissed spinning around to face the detective who had a spoon full of the organic mush to his nose.

He met Alan's angry gaze. "The first rule you learn in starter school is to never mix personal business with your so-called job."

Alan threw his eyes to the side and bitterly pulled the shirt down his torso, grabbing his belt off the mattress before him. "I'm not."

The other man laughed. "And I'm not poisoning myself with this disgusting gunk." he retorted with a mouth full of the food.

Alan looked at him disgusted too stubborn to admit he could be right. The detective set the carton of food aside and walked over to the head of the mattress swallowing painfully. Against the wall was a small bulletin board of newspaper clippings, all about an ex-spy who was on the run. The man shoved two fingers under a large clipping and pulled out a small, worn out photo. In a rush Alan swept across the room in two large strides and missed taking the photo away by a second as the detective whipped it up into the air. They were both tall, but the detective had a height or so over Alan.

"I don't feel like games Buster, give it to me!" he growled through clinched teeth.

Detective Baxter grinned and lowered the photo to the agents awaiting hands. "I don't think there's anything more personal Alan, than _love._"

The sub's jaws tightened at the words spoken as his eyes grazed over the smiling picture of the teen.

__

-----

D-Queen: I'm doooomed

Nadine356: How could u be doomed? U have a hot d8 2nite

D-Queen: N my substitute teacher wants 2 make me disappear 4rm the face of the universe!

Nadine356: Shame, N I'm sure u would of luv ur d8

D-Queen: Nadine! A lil' sympathy. 18 yrs is not a full life lived. I have college, 1st real bf, 1st hangover…

Nadine356: 1st hangover?! Ok. Look, by what u've told me I highly doubt ur sub is really this spy you saw on G.M.W.

D-Queen: No, don't tell me u don't believe me eithr

Nadine356: Jus think 'bout it D. There's no way a top Gov spy would B so sloppy as 2 B caught by a student

D-Queen: MayB he's not that good of a spy

Nadine356: Remember ur words, genius spy? Bsides if he was a spy that would mean he's probably hacked into ur computer & is Evesdroppin on our conv---

D.W.'s fingers shot up from the keyboard. She'd just clicked off the computer, but she still felt the eerie impression she was being watched. All this time why hadn't she thought about it? Nadine was so dead on. Of course a spy of the government could hack into a civilians computer. Weren't they trained to do stuff like that? She pushed her chair from her desk and walked over to her window.

The sun set a deep orange glow over the street as it gradually set. Cars were parked and passing while neighbors went in and out of their houses. If someone was watching her she couldn't tell looking down there now.

"Hey D.W."

"Ahh!" D.W. spun around with her hand planted over her heart. She let out a sigh when she saw it was Kate at the entrance and happily slipped onto the floor.

"You know, you've been acting weird ever since you claimed to see your substitute on G.M.W." Kate pointed out walking to her bed.

D.W. shook her head. She would have loved to tell Kate she had been right, but she remembered her sub's words too clearly. If she let her lips loose she would probably be putting Kate in danger. She loved Kate too much, She loved her family period, even Arthur (_sometimes) _to do that to them.

"I'm ok, I just thought I saw a spider."

Kate gasped. "Please don't tell me you killed it D.W. spiders are harmless."

D.W. stared at her sister in disbelief. Leave it to Kate to care more about a spider's life than how they made her older sister feel.

"I think it crawled back outside." she muttered standing up. "Didn't you come here to tell me something?"

Kate shoved the magazine she'd just picked up back down. "Oh yeah, some guy is downstairs for you and Arthur is grilling him."

"What?"

----

"…And what time are you bringing my sister back home?" Arthur Read probed James MacDonald.

He didn't know James too well, but he partially knew his sister. They had been at the same elementary school and even though back than she had been hanging with a bunch of rough guys he had once gotten to see she wasn't so bad. Still, when did guys start coming around the house asking for one of his little sisters? Besides the Tibbles anyway, who really didn't count. As annoying as D.W. sometimes got she was still his little sister and he remembered all too well how high school boys were like back when he was one.

"Does she have a curfew?" James amusingly asked Arthur. The boy knew the older brother meant no harm, but it didn't hurt teasing him just a little.

"Yes." Arthur asserted sitting up in a defensive manner.

"No!" another voice came from the entrance.

The two males turned to find D.W. in her favorite fitting pink jeans, and a white strap blouse. Pink gloss coated her lips and a light plum eye-shadow was brushed over her eyes. James stood up in a wide grin and Arthur followed right behind him.

"You look nice." James complimented her.

"Thanks--"

"What are you wearing?" Arthur interrupted. "And what's on your face?"

D.W. rolled her eyes at her brother. "I'm wearing cloths and a pair of eyes, a mouth, and a nose are on my face. If you're done acting like Dad we have to go."

"Not until you go back upstairs to wash your face and throw a coat or a blanket over yourself!" Arthur barked stepping in front of James.

"Mom!" D.W. cried "Arthur is being a pain and ordering me around again!"

----

Darn she was cold. Why did that dumb brother of hers have to be right. The bleachers were practically clustered with high school students and teachers. She looked up at the side of James' face as he stared out over the field starting to fill up with the football players and band members.

"D.W., James!" cried Emily down from the field in her cheerleading uniform.

D.W. saw where she stood with Vicita and the other girls from the squad. Emily and Vicita were making lovey-dovey faces at them that D.W. tried to ignore, but found too funny to. When the Tibbles stopped slapping their team mates butts to holler vulgar jokes about the two of them D.W. had to burry her face in her hands. First Arthur now her friends. But from her side she heard James start laughing.

"Those guys are really crazy." he told her.

"Enough to be certifiable, trust me." she sighed finally able to smile too.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chap 5:** The Girl he didn't forget

Alan Powers ran a hand into his hair as he pulled his car behind the bushy lawn next to the parking lot. The device in his hands was beaming red and getting louder as he got out the car and started walking toward the football field.

"Baxter, where the heck are you?"

Alan got a static replied from the communicator in his ears.

"Damn! This thing is failing on me. I should have taken the premium model when I broke into that lab."

He took his eyes off the brightly, red beaming device he was tucking in his pockets to peer out into the crowd of students filling the fields and bleachers. In his t-shirt, jeans, and cap he could easily pass for younger. It really didn't matter as long as he found the culprit before the night ended badly.

Who are you kidding? His mind tormented him. He knew at the moment he didn't have the mentality to effectively put his best into the job. He couldn't help his worrying. He knew she was out there with those kids on the bleachers. Maybe Baxter was right. Maybe he should have never taken the job. Maybe he should have never lied about not being personally connected. He was, but that's why he had to do it.

For those he loved, he would go through any depth to protect. But what about those that didn't know they were loved. What about a girl who didn't know she'd stolen his heart many years ago.

"Ah, come on Alan. Concentrate!"

"Are we having a disgruntling moment?"

Alan turned briskly around easily falling into his pretense. Immediately his smile stopped short and fell into a frown.

"What are you doing here?"

The red headed woman rung a hand into Alan's arm and smiled sweetly. "Try to look a little less furious with me Brain."

Alan flinched. "Armstrong, not so loud."

The redhead grinned. "That's Sue Ellen to you Brain. I collected some information for you in Venice."

"Venice, what happened to Egypt?"

"That ship sailed and sunk when officials caught up with me in Mesopotamia."

Alan grunted noticeably. "But what about the professor? You were supposed to—"

"Honestly Brain do you have so little faith in me? You're not the only one with something to lose here."

Alan sighed as the sultry woman unleashed her hand from him and withdrew.

"I'm sorry. It's just the professor—"

"The professor is fine. I made sure of it."

Alan let out a breath, and then remembered the beeping device in his pocket. On the field the pep rally had already started and it was already beginning to get dark.

"Listen to me Brain my men in Venice, they tell me your little recipe of atomic doomed wasn't the only thing this mad culprit stole."

"Wait what?" Alan erupted startled. "There was a lot of things—"

Suddenly a bone curling shrill hit the two from where a crowd of running teens had started on the field. Alan flung his eyes at the device he withdrew from his pockets. The beaming red-light had changed to green. He mentally kicked himself and flung the device at the woman.

"Quick, Take care of this for me."

Sue Ellen dropped her eyes onto the device and gasped. "A bomb, Brain! Where the heck are you going?!"

"She's out there!"

--

"James! James!"

D.W. spun around disheveled in the chaotic mess of teens. Where had that blast suddenly come from? One moment the cheerleaders were cheering the mascot on, the next a loud boom pierced the air and white smoke was rising from one end of the bleachers. In the confusion of shouts and running D.W. had lost James who had jumped up to take her hand.

"James!"

Someone collided into her sending her down into the crumbling mettle bleachers. What was she doing? The smokes had reached where she was and now she could barely breathe or see her surrounding. She coughed as her throat and eyes burned. The scent of the smoke was so unnatural. Was she getting sleepy?

"D.W.!" someone was calling her. She couldn't tell if it was James though. Slowly rising to her feet she spun around to the blur of something jumping out at her.

"Look out!"

In that instant a hard body threw her off the bleachers and the biting sound of another fiery boom sounded.

"Holy leaping—" D.W. broke off as the bigger body slowly rose up and pulled her of the ground.

"Come on! Hurry!" the person she couldn't see clearly was already pulling on her hand before she had a moment to register what had happened. This was Elwood. Things like this didn't happen.

"We have twenty seconds to find water or we can say goodbye to our skins!"

"What!" D.W shrieked. "Who are—" she stop short as the man's face hit glimpses of light.

"Mr. Powers!"  D.W. felt the full blown hit of stun. What was he doing here? Was that explosion his doing?"

"Look, I know you have a lot of question, but right now just do as I say." The man ordered her.

They were running so fast, his hand held hers so tightly. What was this? She wondered about the others, whether they were all right. Suddenly a tingling burning started on her face.

"Ow! My face."

"Don't touch it. That only makes it worse. We're almost close to the lake. At the count of three jump into it, understand?"

"In that mucky lake—"

"Don't argue with me Dora Winfred!"

"Ok, ok. Just, quit calling me that!"

AS the two approached the lake they threw themselves into the cool water, curling the burning sensation starting on their skin. D.W. sighed in relief. She climbed out of the waters drench and looked around for Mr. Powers. The man was shaking out the water in his hair.

"What was that? My skin was burning?"

"Yeah, burning gas does that."

"Burning gas?"

"Look, it's too open out here to talk about this. I need to get you home immediately," Alan said reaching for the girl.

D.W. pulled away. The feeling of fear no longer attacked her like before. But she still didn't trust him. "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you? Nadine was right. I was nuts to think—I should have gone to the—"

"Cops?" A woman's voice came from behind, startling D.W.

She spun around to face the lovely red head. "Frankly kid, you don't even know how lucky you are that _The Brain's_ on your side."

"Armstrong!" Alan barked bewildered.

"The _Brain_?" D.W. gasped spinning back to face the man before her. "No way. You—you're not—"she cut off when the man before her pulled out what looked like a _'real'_ pistol.

"No—" she fell back at the impact of the little pointy rod that shut into her neck. Quickly the strong urge to fall asleep attacked her.

Alan glared at the woman standing over the girl and tucked his tranquiller away.

"What did you do that for?" Armstrong asked.

"You shouldn't have called me that. Not in front of her."

Sue Ellen cackled. "Why does it matter, unless—" she went silent and Alan looked up into her eyes as he lifted the girl off the ground.

"Oh no. Brain tell me you don't have some kind of relationship with this civilian."

"We'll talk later. I have to get her home."

"You fool. You're putting us all in jeopardy over one girl!"

Alan spun around agitated. "You do your job and I'll—"

"What? Butcher yours. Look Agent—"

"No, you look Armstrong. I've given too much…too much."

The woman watched the young man's face pull apart. "Please…just. We'll talk later about this incident and Venice. Just let me do this."

--

"D.W.? Mom, Dad, Arthur, she's waking up!"

"Mmm…" D.W. slowly came out of her slumber to see Kate's teary eyes in her face. "Kate, why are you grinning so big?"

"Oh big sis, I was so worried."  D.W. sat up from her bed and rubbed her eyes.

"For what?" Her whole family, even that stupid dog was in her room.

"I knew going out with that boy—" Arthur was saying.

"Arthur," Jane Read said sauntering over to her daughter. "Honey, are you alright?"

D.W. nodded."Yeah, my head's pounding a little but—wait!"

D.W looked out to her family with startled eyes. "There was a big blast."

"Yes, it was all over the evening news. Some prank gone wrong," D.W.'s Dad claimed.

"No one was hurt." Kate announced.

"And that boy you went out with stopped by here, but I sent him home," Arthur added.

"James? Arthur!" D.W. barked.

"Well what did you want him to do, sit here and listen to you snore?"

D.W. quickly remembered in a cloudy fog what had happen.

She sheepishly fell back in bed. "I want to get some more rest."

"All right honey, we'll leave you then." Her mom told her.

D.W. quickly turned to Kate. "Kate, how did I get home?"

Kate suddenly jumped up into D.W.'s line of vision. "Oh my gosh. The cutest guy D.W.—"

"Was he in a wet t-shirt and jeans?"

Kate shook her head. "No, he was in a uniform. It was a cop D.W."

D.W. turned away. Did he disguise himself? Of course.

"D.W. are you ok?"

"Yes. I just need rest."

When Kate left she jumped out of bed and fixed her pillow in her place to make it seem like she was still in it. Her mind was budding and her heart racing. Something, intuition said she had to know what was happening.

After changing clothes and getting her jacket, she quickly climbed out the window, threw herself into a nearby trunk and made her way to the front lawn. Her bike was in the garage, but getting would mean getting caught.

She sneaked off to next door and after collecting some pebbles began throwing them at Vicita's window. The young girl flung her windows up excitedly.

"D.W. you're all right!" Vicita whispered.

"Yeah, you too good. Look Vicita I have to do something. I have my cell phone so I'm calling in the favor you owe me."

"Where are you going?"

"Not sure yet. Just wait for my call I may need your help."

"D.W!"  
"Shhh! I'll be back later!"

--

She ran back to the field. It was already dark but plenty of people were out. She was hiding behind a tree peering out at the field when someone grabbed her shoulder.

"Ahh—" she stopped when her eyes landed on him.

"What are you doing here? Why are you so stubborn?"

 "You shot me!" D.W. exclaimed at the man.

"I put you to sleep."

"With a gun? But I guess that would suit a convict wouldn't it?"

"Go back home and stay there or I'll give you a real reason to fear me."

D.W. glared at the man. "So, is this the type of man you've grown up to be…_Alan_?"

Alan sighed annoyed. "You're too smart for your own good. I should know."

The tears were already pushing behind her eyes. "I can't believe you're the Brain. Alan 'the Brain' Powers."

Alan shook his head. "No, I'm not the person you think I am."

D.W. watched the man.

"You're right. Cause a real friend wouldn't have done what you did. When I first saw your face on G.M.W I thought you look familiar because I'd seen you before on it, but—you're the **B**rain. The stupid genius who told me I could do anything I put my mind to. You made me think you cared, you made everyone think you cared, but then you left. Gone, disappeared. It was like you never existed. You messed with their memories. Don't tell me you didn't, I know better."

"I had no choice."

"But me. Why did you leave my mind like it was? They thought there was something wrong with me. They thought I made you up?"

Alan reached for the girl whose eyes were starting to give way to the tears. "No. I did. I was too much of a coward not to. But you just—"

D.W.'s eyes widened. "You're lying. In the end I had to force myself to think I made you up. I did and everything was fine and then you show up as an ex-spy on the run. Why did you come back here?"

"I'm sorry."

"No, just leave Elwood alone."

Alan shot a hand out to her and pulled her against the tree. "Listen to me D.W.—"

"Um, sorry to break this intimate moment," the two turned to the familiar red head woman. "Brain we have to move the FBY will be here in fifteen minutes."

Alan looked at the girl. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but—oh screw it!"

He took her chin in his hand and softly brushed his lips against hers. D.W. shrunk back surprised. Alan quickly pulled away blushing.

"I'm here because I care about Elwood and its people. Not everything you see on television is true. I'm not the bad guy here. And… and I never left…you… not in the way you think."

He pulled away from her startled face and turned a hand over his flushing face. "Armstrong will take you back home."

D.W. touched her lips still stun. Her heart was racing and the blood in her head was rushing in the wrong direction.

"I get it. You're undercover aren't you?"

Alan shook his head.  "Too smart for your own good."

"Hmm, you're right about that Brain. Boys." At the utterance of her voice two burly men stepped from behind the shadows toward the young girl and the agent.

When one took hold of D.W. Alan jumped forward only to be stopped by the other.

"What is this Armstrong?"

"It's nothing against you Brain it's just like you said. The girl's too smart for her own good. This is my job. I clean up any messy work."

Fear was already attacking D.W. but she was going to be darn if she showed it. "Let me go! I'll scream!" She threw her teeth into the big man holding her and chomped down hard.

"The little brat bit me."

"Lay a hand on her and you're as good as gone."

"Your chivalry is entertaining, but this is over."

"Wait a minute Armstrong you don't know what you're saying. This girl is worth a lot more than you think!"

"Plenty of fishes Brain—"

"Boys—"

"No! She's the only one that knows the codes to make the emulsion!"

The woman and the girl's eyes startled. "What?"

"You're lying!"

Alan pushed away from the man holding him back and rushed over to the girl.

"When I was kidnapped and forced to make the atomic emulsion I thought—"

"You planted the key in that girl's mind?"

D.w. pulled away from the bunch. "Wait a minute. What are you two talking about? What code? What emulsion? What kidnapping?"

The whipping sound of a helicopter landing interrupted the talk.

"Darn, they're here. We need to go, now!"

Before she could get any answer to her question D.W. Read was being swept away from flashing light in the hands of the guy she had once known as 'The Brain'. What was worst she'd somehow gotten entwined in his corrupt mess.


End file.
